There are many types of story a game could tell. Deep rich advetures, a commentary on society, playful funtimes, or perhaps no real story at all. Many things are needed to have a rich story, and games can provide for all of them. Really, a game doesn't even have to have a deep story to be good, but a deep story can make a game leave a specific impact on your heart.
Tone, events, moments, and characters. These are things that can make a story. Different stories have different ratios of these things. Some stories have few deep characters, and instead have a story shown through fun and playful moments ( or perhaps dark and depressing ones).
| Type of story | Good Characters | Sad moments | Happy Moments | Deep subject matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Deep Story | Most of the time | Yes | Yes | Sometimes |
| A Funny Story | Sometimes | No | Yes | No |
| A Feel Good Story | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| A Bad and Boring Story (in my honest opinion) | No | No | No | No |
While in some places, you'd expect a deep story, like a game about adveture, or about the flaws of modern day society, certain games can have a suprisingly deep story for what they are. You may not expect a deep tragedy from a Super Mario game, but in the game Super Paper Mario amongst all of the silly and zany content, there is a suprsingly dark plot about forbidden loves, and one of them being driven to madness by loss.
Cutscenes explaing part of this hidden tragedy
I find this deepness mixed amongst a cheery game really charming. It makes for a unique experience, and keeps the game in my memory. Perhaps it is a bit like whiplash, but I really do love it.